Who Will Get More Media Coverage? Extraordinary Passings
World-famous heart surgeon Dr Michael DeBakey dies aged 99
Death of a Pioneer
Legendary heart surgeon Michael DeBakey passed away Friday night at the age of 99. From the Houston Chronicle:
Medical statesman, chancellor emeritus of Baylor College of Medicine, and a surgeon at The Methodist Hospital since 1949, DeBakey trained thousands of surgeons over several generations, achieving legendary status decades before his death. During his career, he estimated he had performed more than 60,000 operations. His patients included the famous — Russian President Boris Yeltsin and movie actress Marlene Dietrich among them — and the uncelebrated.
“Dr. DeBakey singlehandedly raised the standard of medical care, teaching and research around the world,” said Dr. George Noon, a cardiovascular surgeon and longtime partner of DeBakey’s. “He was the greatest surgeon of the 20th century, and physicians everywhere are indebted to him for his contributions to medicine.”
”You fight (death) all the time, and you never really can accept it,” DeBakey once said. ”You know in reality that everybody is going to die, but you try to fight it, to push it away, hold it away with your hands.”
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Former White House spokesman Tony Snow dies
Tony Snow, the former White House press secretary and conservative pundit who bedeviled the press corps and charmed millions as a FOX News television and radio host, has died after a long bout with cancer. He was 53.
A syndicated columnist, editor, TV anchor, radio show host and musician, Snow worked in nearly every medium in a career that spanned more than 30 years.
“Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of our dear friend, Tony Snow,” President Bush said in a statement. “The Snow family has lost a beloved husband and father. And America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character.”
In many cases, a bout with sickness stretches your soul, opens your eyes, and introduces you to a world of unimagined grandeur, possibility and joy. Tony Snow
Both of these extraordinary people have passed away and left a hole in America’s culture. Watch how the media plays these stories. The American public has little clue which one of these men has saved thousands of lives. Everyone knows which one attempted to soften the image of President Bush.
